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solarsturniolo · 15 days

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𝕮𝖗𝖊𝖊𝖕 // 𝕸.𝕾. // 𝕺𝖓𝖊

𝕾𝖚𝖒𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖞: in which Matt is failing his classes and at risk of having to repeat the semester, and his tutor is the reason behind it.

𝕯𝖎𝖘𝖈𝖑𝖆𝖎𝖒𝖊𝖗: This is a collaborative story that me and @bambi-slxt started on, but I am in charge of it now :) All characters in this story are of age. None of the characters are minors.

𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘: cursing / smut / switch!matt / switch!fem reader / male masturbation / wet dreams / use of good boy / virgin!matt / p in v / oral (fem receiving) / oral (male receiving) / overstimulation / breeding kink / praise kink / mommy kink / scenes mentioning anxiety

𝖂𝖔𝖗𝖉 𝕮𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖙: 5,906

“W-Wait, what?” Matt’s eyes widened, his eyebrows raising. “What do you mean I might not be able to graduate?”

The school counselor sighed, lifting her glasses from the bridge of her nose and placing them onto her desk. She leaned back in her plush swivel chair, looking at the nervous boy sitting across from her. Her office was comforting, a place that Matt had found solace in quite often on his bad days. She never used the overhead light, always opting for the warm glow of her floor lamps and the flicker of light from the flame in a scented candle. Her bookshelves were littered with not only books, but numerous knick-knacks and do-hickeys. Most people would have seen it as clutter, but Matt found comfort in the items she had, which more or less reminded him of his grandmother’s house.

She turned her monitor for him to see, and she visibly saw the blood drain from his face. Her screen glowed with a much harsher light, the gradebook showing Matt’s transcript laid out in front of him. “You’re proficient in your American History class, but the rest of your classes for the semester are in the gutter. Socioeconomics, U.S. Government, European Literature, and Chemistry are all greatly negatively impacting your overall grade point average.” Matt’s head fell, his hands coming up to rub his face. How could I have let it get this bad? How could I be so negligent? How was it even possible? She clasped her hands together and leaned forward, resting her arms on her desk. She had grown to like Matt, he was polite and always greeted her with a smile, he was very open with his thoughts and feelings, and he really did work hard. She empathized with him, because she knew how it felt to be in this spot. “This is a reversible situation - we can fix this. You have options, Matt.”

Matt looked up from his lap, his hands falling onto his thighs. “W-We can?”

“Yes,” she replied with a smile. She swirled her chair around, unlocking one of the drawers in her filing cabinet and opening it to reveal a number of filing folders. She fingered through them before pulling out a sheet, turning her chair back towards her desk and placing it down in front of Matt. “We have a tutoring program available, and I think you would benefit greatly from it.”

“Tutoring?” Matt frowned, staring down at the paper. He never thought in his life that he would need tutoring. How embarrassing. I’m doing so bad in my classes that I need another student to teach me. What if I know them? What if they tell everybody? Matt looked back up at the counselor, hesitation clear on his face. “Are there any other options?”

She sighed, putting her glasses back on and turning the monitor to face her once again. Matt watched intently as she clicked her mouse a few times. Matt instinctively brought his hand to his face, subconsciously beginning to chew on his nails. I can’t choose tutoring. Chris and Nick will never let me hear the end of it. This is so embarrassing. Can’t I just retake a test or something? Why did I let it get this bad?

“Unfortunately, the only other option I have here is for you to retake these classes again…which would also mean repeating senior year.”

Matt hadn’t realized he had chewed his nail off. He dropped his hand back to his lap, discreetly spitting it out when she wasn’t looking at him. “I’ll take the tutoring,” Matt sighed. The thought of not graduating with Nick and Chris made him feel queasy. His stomach turned over just thinking about his brothers walking across that stage while he sat in the audience and watched. His brothers holding their diplomas up with cheesy smiles on their faces for their pictures that would surely be framed and hung on the walls of their parents’ house for the remainder of their lives; all while Matt would have to wait another year to meet the same fate. Another year of high school, this time without his brothers. Without Chris to make him laugh, to make the day move by just a little quicker. Without Nick, who always looked out for Matt, always offering to ask the teacher any questions that Matt had to take the heat off of him, to avoid any anxiety inducing feelings that Matt might have had. I can’t do it. I wouldn’t last a day without them. Any chance to avoid that outcome is one he would take, no questions asked.

x o x o x o

I should have asked some fucking questions. Matt’s heart pounded as he pretended to look at something on his phone, switching between his social media apps anxiously; not that any of them were bustling with activity, he just needed something to make himself look busy. She was here. I wasn’t prepared to see her. Holy fuck.

For the past four years, Monday through Friday, once the bell rang after the final class of the day, Matt had booked it for the locker room. Shuffling through a crowd of boys, shoving Chris (and getting shoved right back), listening to a variety of music through his headphones (mostly Kid Ink, Lil Skies, Mac Miller, and Post Malone), and throwing on his gear for lacrosse. Today, however, he sat awkwardly in the school library, leg bouncing, chewing at the skin around his pinky fingernail. His headphones tucked away in his pocket. No music to drown out his thoughts. Why didn’t I ask more questions? I can’t do this; I can’t be here with her. This can’t be happening. She…looks so pretty.

Across from him, a few tables over, she sat on the table itself, cross-legged and completely at ease. A light blue sweater hung off her shoulders, a pair of khaki cargos crinkled over her legs, worn-out white air forces, and a pair of hoop earrings rounded out the simple, gut-wrenching outfit.

Matt hated feeling this way. She drove him insane, and she had no idea who he was. That was a lie - they had a few classes together. Incidentally, those same classes glowed red in the gradebook. It didn’t take him very long to figure out why.

For the past four years, Matt had walked into school every morning hoping in equal measure that she had shown up and that she had suddenly become homeschooled. Every single class, he would stare at the door just hoping he’d catch a glimpse of her, whether she was walking into the classroom or just passing by in the hallway. He knew where to look for her in the hallways between classes, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel his heart rate pick up when he’d see her in the flood of other students chaotically herding through the halls.

Now she was his tutor. She was the reason he was failing, and she was his tutor. His counselor had no way of knowing, but she had just doomed Matt to repeat senior year. He was not about to sit down with that girl and make a complete idiot out of himself.

Lifting his backpack and hooking the strap over his shoulder, he got up and turned for the door. At that moment she looked up from her book, her eyes locking with his, and he froze.

Her hair fell softly along the edges of her face, and she looked at him with mild curiosity. Matt’s breath hitched in his throat. Years of her never even noticing me, and now she’s looking at me and…smiling. Oh god.

Don’t you dare fuck this up, he heard Chris whisper in the back of his mind. “Fuck off,” he muttered and began to walk towards her.

“Is this where I’m supposed to be for uh…” He didn’t want to say it. Normally people would jump in and finish sentences anyway to avoid uncomfortable silences. She did not. She just continued to look at him with minimal interest, her smile growing a little in amusement. Oh god. This isn’t happening. Somebody please pinch me. Or shoot me.

Matt felt the heat rising to his face, his breath catching in his throat as she stared at him. “Tutoring. I’m here for tutoring.”

She slipped a bookmark between the pages of the book she was reading and pulled a knee up to her chest. Matt caught a glimpse of the cover of the novel, furrowing his eyebrows a bit. A hockey player? I played hockey. Should I say that? Does she like hockey players? Lacrosse is like hockey… in some ways. Should I-

“You’re Matt, right? One of the triplets?”

Matt blinked. “Yeah.”

She smiled again, placing her book down onto the table. Icebreaker? Matt made a mental note to look that up later. “I think we share a few classes, right?”

“We have Socioeconomics, European Literature, and Chemistry together, and when Chorus comes into the auditorium to practice, I run the soundboard for you. You took Workshop with me and Chris, and I could never focus on a single project me and him had together. We had Math and Introduction to Culinary together last year, all of our electives the year before that, and in ninth grade you were in my home room and study hall. You’ve always been in my lunch block, and you like to eat out in the courtyard under the willow tree far away from the picnic benches. You’re in the photography and Yearbook club because you love to take pictures, and you also run the school’s yearbook account on Instagram. You never get breakfast because it hurts your stomach to eat in the mornings but if you forgot to have dinner the night before, you’ll go through the line in the cafeteria and get an old-fashioned donut and a cup of mixed fruit. You prefer peppermint gum over spearmint, you always wear shimmer lip gloss instead of clear, you chew on your lip when you’re thinking really hard, you write sloppily when taking notes, but your papers are written in cursive. You’re terrifyingly beautiful, and I’ve wanted to talk to you for four years.”

That’s what Matt thought about saying. Instead of opting for that particular route of social suicide, however, he simply went with, “Yeah, I think we have one or two together, right?” and sat his bag down.

Don’t fuck this up. You cannot fuck this up.

x o x o x o

“Ms. Coleman said you were behind in some classes,” she said, pulling out her laptop from her bag. “Which ones?”

‘All of them’, He thought to himself. Matt sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. “What am I not behind in?” he mumbled.

She looked up at him through her lashes. Matt felt his stomach twist up in knots. He had imagined her looking at him like this more times than he could count. Usually late at night when he was in bed, his hand wrapped around his cock, his eyes screwed shut as he bit back soft whines and whimpers as his arousal leaked into his fist. He couldn’t help but feel his pants tightening around his crotch as filthy thought after filthy thought played in his head.

She smiled at him again, and Matt suddenly realized that she had been speaking. His stomach dropped. “S-Sorry, what?” he stammered. She laughed softly, a sound that made Matt’s heart leap up into his throat. “I asked if you could be a little more specific.”

Matt cleared his throat. “Um, Government, English, Socioeconomics, and Chem.” He looked down at his hands in his lap, the thoughts from earlier looming over him. I won’t graduate. Mom will be so disappointed. Dad won’t speak to me for a year. Chris and Nick will move on in life without me. She probably thinks I’m an idiot. Who the fuck fails almost every class in their last semester?

He could have sworn he felt his heart come to a full stop when he felt her hand on his shoulder, his head snapping up in an instant. “Hey,” she cooed as Matt met her gaze once more. “We’ll fix this. We have four months until graduation. You have time.”

Yeah, time to spend my afternoons drooling over you and retaining no information. Four months to sit here and gawk at you every fucking afternoon while my grades continue to plummet. Four months of me rushing home after these tutor sessions to beat off before Nick and Chris get home from their after school extra curriculars. Either way, I’m failing this semester.

“Why don’t we start with English, hm? I’m in that class with you, third period. We have a paper due on Friday.” She opened her laptop, pressing the power button repeatedly. Matt swallowed the lump in his throat – fuck. The paper… he was hoping to avoid it altogether. Sensing his hesitation, she raised her eyebrows. “Have you started it?”

Matt blinked. He licked his lips, suddenly noticing how dry they were. “...No.”

“Me neither,” she grinned, and Matt felt his shoulders relax. She had a beautiful smile, and it so rarely appeared on the Somerville High property, even less so in the classes they’d shared. It made him wonder what else he could do or say to make it stay for longer.

“It’s okay,” she continued, tapping away at her keyboard, urging the ancient relic to awaken and let her log on. “We can write it together.”

“Yeah, sure…together,” he said, taking out his own laptop, proud that he had enough focus to keep his hands steady. He wanted to make her smile again, but he hadn’t the faintest idea how. Matt also wanted to crawl into the floor and sleep for an eternity, but his wishes seemed to have no substance. His grades did, and more than anything, he knew he wouldn’t forgive himself if he made Chris and Nick leave him behind. Punctuating his thoughts with a deep sigh, Matt pulled up the assignment rubric. “Three pages, double spaced - that’s not bad - third page sources cited…” As he scanned the page, she, still waiting on her dinosaur of a computer to come to life, leaned closer to him to see for herself.

Her perfume. Waves of vanilla with floral notes. Undertones of musk. It was strong but intoxicating. Matt used every ounce of self-control to not turn towards her and inhale as much of it as he could. She had been using this perfume for the past three years, and Matt had become obsessed with it. He was like a stoner catching a whiff of weed, he could identify it from a mile away. He could sniff her out like a bloodhound if he really wanted to. Matt begged his brain to behave.

It didn’t.

The aching in his pants grew. Matt pulled his hoodie down to cover his lap, he could not let her see what she did to him. He felt his face heat up as embarrassment flooded his brain. Still, his cock remained half hard and his balls felt heavy with arousal. Despite knowing how wrong it was, he wanted nothing more than to rub one out. Matt used every iota of his self-control to focus on puling the assignment up on his computer. One hour. I just need to get through this one hour.

x o x o x o

“How long have you been tutoring?” Matt wanted to know more about her. It was a near-feverish affliction that kept his leg bouncing continuously, releasing nervous energy at speeds that could power the entire city of Boston.

She didn’t look up at him, pulling up the assignment on her computer. “I started last year…gave me a chance to get out of Johnson’s eighth period. Do you know why you’re falling behind in Philosophy?”

Matt didn’t hear her question at all. The stickers on her laptop were incredibly distracting - he caught a glimpse of Homer Simpson, the Monster logo, a few Pokémon, numerous band logos, Marilyn Monroe, a sick vaporwave statue head, and a plethora of raccoons. I like raccoons. Now is probably not the best time to tell her that. “Huh?”

She glanced over through her lashes, and Matt felt his air supply vaporize. “I asked why you’re failing.”

Because you walk into the room and I forget how to speak my own damn language. Because I want to talk to you so bad, but my throat closes up when you look at me. Because when you smile it makes my legs heavy…But more than anything, because I want you in ways that I have never wanted anyone before, and it is all that I can think about. No matter where I am at or who I am with, you manage to take over every thought in my head. Movie nights with my brothers where I can drown out the movie, daydreaming of what you might look like waking up next to me in one of my shirts. Dinner with my family, wondering if you like whatever it is that we’re eating that night. In the shower, wondering what your routine is like. Late nights in my room, the door locked and the lights off, clothes discarded onto the floor, my hand tugging at my cock. You are always there. You’re the reason why I’m failing, and you don’t even know it.

Matt settled on, “It’s hard to focus in there.” Not a lie. But not even close to the truth.

She nodded. “She talks in circles sometimes.” A pause made his eyes dart up to hers, terrified that he’d missed something again. But no, she was…studying him.

Her head tilted slightly, and her hazy eyes rested on his. He wondered what she was thinking about, and something primitive in his mind was screaming at him to hide. He felt vulnerable, weak under her gaze. His cock throbbed. Matt did his best to bite back the soft groan that fought to escape his throat.

“I think you might just need a body double.”

He blinked.

She continued. “The classes you’re failing, those are the only ones you don’t have with one of your brothers or your other friends, right?”

Matt nodded, wondering how she could possibly know that. He bookmarked that thought for later.

“Well, your brain probably knows that they expect you to do your work, and you don’t want to let them down, so the work gets done. Not in English or History, apparently. So, I’m your body double. And I expect you to do your work.” She grinned. “It’s corny as fuck but you’d be surprised how much you get done. Ready to start?”

Matt decided to process that particular heap of information later. “Yeah, sure.”

“I’m sending you my sources. You know how to cite them?”

His brain couldn’t register her words. It all made sense, but his brain felt too fuzzy to put the pieces together. “Sources, right. Y-Yeah, I uh…yes.”

“Good boy,” she purred. Matt nearly choked, his dick now fully hard. There’s no way she just said that. She gestured to his keyboard, and Matt began to shakily type the name of the website he needed into the search bar. Maybe I just imagined it…It’s been a weird day. Matt could feel her gaze burning into his skin like the heat of a thousand suns. His heart was lodged in his throat, he had begun manually breathing, not wanting his breaths to sound too heavy or too short.

Her hands kept brushing his arm, and Matt realized if he wasn’t careful, she would notice the way his face turned a bright red when she touched him, or worse… she’d see the bulge that could barely even be hidden by his hoodie. He turned away from her, pretending to look for something in his bag. “I um…thanks.”

“Go ahead and read those, throw all the relevant information into a messy doc, and then let me know when you’re done, okay?” Matt looked up and she leaned once more against the concrete column behind her, earbuds in, typing away in her own empty doc for the same assignment. He glanced at the stickers on her laptop, eyeing the one in the dead center with the name of a band he had never heard of. I wonder what she’s listening to. Would she like my music? Would I like hers?

Pulling out his own headphones, Matt shuffled his own playlist, and tried desperately to focus on the article in front of him.

x o x o x o

Forty two minutes later (he counted), Matt finally reached the end of the mind-numbing wall of text. No closer to understanding what the fuck he was doing, he reached out to tap the table near her knee. Her cargos sported faded stitching on their edges, proof of intentional wear as opposed to fashion wear.

When the flash of motion moved into her line of sight, she looked up from her own article, brows raised expectantly and eyes locked onto his. “How’s it going?”

“Well…It’s not perfect but…it’s better than nothing right?.”

“Mhmm.” She leaned forward, staring at his screen. “One and a half pages? Atta boy.”

Matt’s face flushed, his lips parting to speak but silence was all that followed.

“Did you do what I said earlier?”

“Yes ma’am.” Where the FUCK did THAT come from?

She wrinkled her face, her lips tugging up into a smile. “Down, boy.”

Matt almost puked. A lightning bolt struck his lungs, and they withered in his ribcage. “Sorry- sorry,” he stuttered. He ripped his gaze away from hers, blinking rapidly.

She laughed softly, the ghost of a smile passing over her lips. Matt’s head shot up faster than he’d ever admit. “Little weirdo,” she muttered, turning away from him to put her laptop in her bag.

“Oh, are we-”

“Mhm. Bell’s about to ring.”

He blinked again, opening his own backpack.

“Give me your snap.”

“Huh?”

“Your snapchat. So we can talk about your assignments and schedule tutoring for sometime other than boy’s athletics.”

How did she-

“Wouldn’t want you to miss lacrosse.” She tilted her head to punctuate her all-knowing tone, and put her phone in Matt’s hand.

As he typed megamett_44, Matt reevaluated the entirety of his life’s choices, and hoped she’d just…ignore it. Or not see it at all, that was preferable.

Neither of those things happened.

“Mega. Mett. Forty four?” she questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.

“...Yep.”

“You, um…” She gestured, sarcasm beginning to drip from her lips. “You wanna explain?”

“No I do not,” he replied, grinning nervously, avoiding her gaze.

“Hmm…cute,” She smirked. Matt felt his heart swell and his pants tighten even more at the comment she had made, just barely crossing the line of being a praiseful remark. He wanted to ask more about what she meant; Why did she say cute? Does she think I’m cute? Was she just saying the username is cute? But before he could think of something, the bell rang, and in one fluid motion, she swung her bag over her shoulder and slipped off the table. “Later,” she hummed before she disappeared into a river of students escaping school grounds for the weekend.

Matt exhaled and slumped into his chair, hanging his head as he dropped his bag back onto the floor. The visible bulge under the fabric of his shorts and his hoodie taunted him, his mind raced, thinking of all the things he could have done instead of gawking at her and stuttering one or two words at a time in response to whatever she said to him. Matt ran his fingers through his messy hair. His cheeks remained a rosy pink. He rubbed his lips with his fingers, an anxious habit he had picked up over the years in a desperate attempt to help with his nail biting problem, though very little progress had been made there.

“I’m done for,” he said, nodding decisively. “Yep. This is the end of Matthew Sturniolo.” Matt looked down at his phone, numerous texts from his brothers flooding the screen.

Nick: where are you

Chris: where r u ?

Nick: why weren’t you at lacrosse

Chris: coach is not happy with you lmao

Chris: helloooooooo

Chris: the van is still here so we know ur here

Chris: unless 😏

Nick: enough

Chris: man come on nick is grumpy and bitching about the weather

Nick: it’s fucking sweltering out and i’m sweating bullets. I’d appreciate getting into the air conditioned vehicle that we OWN

Matt sighed and shoved his phone into his pocket. He looked around, making sure that nobody was nearby as he stood up. Grabbing his bag, Matt hurried out of the library and pushed his way through the halls to the nearest restroom.

Ensuring that the bathroom was completely empty, he slipped into the closest bathroom stall and locked it behind him. Matt quickly dropped his bag to the floor, lifting the hem of his hoodie up and holding it between his teeth. He pulled the band of his shorts down, groaning softly as the friction sent bolts of pleasure through him. He slipped his hand under the fabric of his boxers, his eyes fluttering closed as his hand wrapped around his shaft. He hummed ever so softly as he gave his cock a few strokes.

He opened his eyes, suddenly realizing what he was doing. No, this isn’t like you. This isn’t right. You don’t do this here. He pulled his cock up into the waistband of his boxers, dissatisfied above all else, but knowing he had to hide his unpleasant erection somehow. This was a new low for him. What kind of a creep can’t even keep it in his pants until he gets home? Matt pulled his shorts back up, dropping the hem of his hoodie from where it had been between his teeth. He stepped out of the bathroom stall, taking a quick once-over in the mirror to make sure he looked put together and not a flustered horny mess, before he slipped out of the bathroom, following the mass of students rushing for the exit out into the student parking lot.

x o x o x o

Matt saw Chris and Nick leaning against the edge of his car. Matt clicked the unlock button on his key, the vehicle chirping in response. Nick opened the door to the backseat, huffing something under his breath as he got into the car. “Where the hell were you?” Chris asked, slinging his bag into the back next to Nick’s foot, closing the door behind him.

“Library,” Matt muttered, clunking into the driverseat. Chris paralleled Matt’s actions, dropping himself into the passenger seat. “Library?” Chris repeated, tasting the word with furrowed eyebrows as he turned to look at Nick, expecting he might know more about Matt’s situation.

He did not. Nick scrunched his face. “Since when do you go to the library?”

Matt groaned. “Can we just go home.”

The other two didn’t ask too many questions after that. What normally would have been a debrief session of their individual experiences from that day while feasting on whatever fast-food place the three of them had voted on, was instead a deafening silence and a painfully tense atmosphere. Matt was secretly very appreciative of this, his mind was too scattered for him to hold a conversation with his brothers, never mind care about what they were discussing.

x o x o x o

When he collapsed onto his bed, Matt checked his phone, brows furrowed in surprise. He’d gotten a notification from Snapchat (a rarity), and his heart shot up into his throat when he saw who it was from. He tapped on the notification to see that she had sent him a photo of herself - her hair fell in waves around her face, and Matt could see the glint of her earrings. She wasn’t even looking at the camera, making the edge of her eyeliner effortlessly severe. Matt’s chest went aflutter, and he stared at that picture for a very long set of minutes. “Here’s my snap”, she had typed, and once he tapped out of the photo, Matt added her back.

But they hadn’t spoken past that.

He laid on his bed trying to think of something to say to keep talking to her, but everything sounded desperate and corny. He had so many things he wanted to say, so many questions he wanted to ask. He wanted to talk to her for hours, about anything and everything. He wanted to know everything about her.

As the sky darkened, Matt scrolled aimlessly on TikTok, then Instagram, then back to TikTok, avoiding Snapchat to the best of his ability. His mind refused to let go of her, and it was starting to piss him off. What is she doing? Does she stay home on school nights? Does she go out? What are her hobbies? Does she play video games? Would she play them with me? Does she like to read outside of school too? When does she go to bed? Does she like to stay up late? Does she go to bed early? Why can't I think of something normal to say to her?

Matt dragged himself out of bed, crumpling slowly to the floor. He leaned his head against the edge of his mattress and sighed - what a fucking day.

A knock at the door had him lifting his head from where it rested against the mattress. “Hi, honey.” Mom. “You eating dinner with us tonight?”

He stood up, crossed the empty floor of his room quickly, and pulled his door open. “Hey Mom.” Matt leaned into her, and Mary Lou slipped her arms around her son.

“Hi baby. Somethin’ on your mind?”

I’m failing.

I’m failing four classes.

You and dad would be so disappointed.

I feel tired and sick all the time.

I just want to go to sleep.

Graduation is in four months.

Nick and Chris are gonna leave me.

I’ll have to repeat senior year.

It’ll all be my fault.

The girl making me fail is the girl trying to help me pass.

I can’t focus on anything.

I’m so fucking tired.

“Just missed ya.” Matt sighed. He hummed when he felt his mother's loving arms embrace him just a little tighter. “I’ll be downstairs in a minute.”

x o x o x o

A dark room. The brush of fingers over silk. A candle flickering shadows against the walls. The faint scent of vanilla. Pleasure flowing through his body. The buzzing hum of a vibrator. More waves of soft tingling flowing from the center of his body.

“Good boy…”

He sighed, lips parted, eyes closed. His hips began to shift upwards, slowly at first, pushing against the vibrator, aching for more. Instead, his leaking, rock-hard cock met a soft hand. He whimpered, digging his pelvis into the pillowy skin. “Awww…d’you wanna hump Mommy’s hand?”

“Yes…” he pleaded, his head lolling to the side, chest heaving. “P-Please, I-I... Please.”

Her fist began to slip around the head of his cock. “Please what?”

“Nnnghh…please let me hump your hand. I need it s-so bad, p-please, it hurts Mommy, I just wanna…jus wanna feel your hand around my…my…”

Another hand cupped his balls, silky-soft thumb rubbing spine-tingling circles over his pleasure-filled skin. “Hmm? What was that, pretty boy? Mommy didn’t quite catch that.”

“My cock, miss, I…p-please reward me…please, I-I’ve been so good…”

She smiled, amused by how easy it was to get him riled up. “Go ahead, baby. You’ve been such a good boy. You deserve a little treat, don’t you?”

Matt didn’t need to be told twice. His hips lifted, his jaw going slack as his shaft slipped through her fist with ease, her hand already sticky with his arousal. A whimper grew at the back of his throat, his hips beginning to buck up into her grasp. Erotic sounds filled the room; heavy panting, his wet cock slipping in and out of her grasp, the bed frame creaking ever so quietly, her quiet praises that she’d whisper to him. “Atta boy, you’ve got it,” she hummed, earning a sound from Matt that he hadn’t even known he was capable of making. A mix between a sob and a whimper, a sound that made her press her thighs together, her core aching for him. “That’s it, baby, hump Mommy’s hand. Doesn’t that feel good?”

His pace quickened, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths as he began to rut against her hand. His desire was primal. It was animalistic. The way he craved her, unlike anything he had ever craved for in his life. His balls, heavy with his arousal, slapping against her wrist as her hand reached the base of his cock with every thrust he made. His tip, swollen and pink, leaking with his desire. She could feel the way his shaft throbbed, practically begging for more. Her hand gently squeezed his tip, a guttural moan falling from his rosy lips.

He began to whine now, desperate pleas pouring from his lips like thick sweet honey. “I’ve been so good, I’ll behave, I promise, I’ll be s-so good for you Mommy, please let me cum, please, I’m b-begging you, please Mommy… y-you’re so sweet and g-good to me, I jus’ wanna make you happy, please let me make you happy…f-fuck!” White-hot liquid spurted from his tip, coating her hand and his abdomen as she continued to stroke his sensitive shaft.. “Mmmph…Mommy…f-fuck…thank you, th-thank you, mmph Mommy…thank you, y-you’re so good to me…”

Breathlessly, he pushed himself up onto his elbows, looking up at the beautiful girl in front of him. His gaze flickered down to her hand, his cock throbbing as he saw how much of a mess he had made. Ropes of thick warm cum coated her hand, and Matt couldn’t help but think of what it’d look like leaking out of her. He watched with a dazed and aroused glisten in his eyes as she brought her hand up to his lips. Obediently he licked his mess off of her fingers, paying no mind to the taste. He didn’t care, he’d do anything she wanted, even if it meant having the lingering taste of his seed in his mouth. Once her hand was cleaned up, he pressed kisses up to her wrist, trailing up her arm, keeping his eyes low in reverence.

She lifted his head with a finger under his jaw. “You’re welcome, baby. You did so good for me, hmm?” she murmured, kissing his forehead. Matt closed his eyes, never wanting to leave this moment. “Were you a good boy for mommy?”

Matt shot up in his bed and his chest rose and fell with shallow breaths. He pulled his duvet cover off of him, and in the dark of his bedroom he could still see his mess leaking through the fabric of his boxers. His torso was slick with a sheen layer of sweat. Despite having already finished, his cock refused to soften.

“Oh fuck me,” he snarled, rubbing his tired face with his hands. This is going to be the hardest four months of my life.

Tags: @mattsturniololoverr @oversturn @mattslolita @simplysturn @flowerxbunnie @soursturniolo @megamett44-lover @sturnybabes @jjmaybankswifes-blog @plasticferal @cupidsword @liz-stxrn @sturniolosreads @bernardsleftbootycheek @egirlshit @matthemunch44 @nonamegirlxsturniolo @chrizz333 @sturniolopowers @mattsleftnipple03 @worldlxvlys @hearts4chriss @tillies33ssss @janiellasblog @creamoncreamoncream2 @breeloveschris @meg-sturniolo @lustfulslxt @braindead4l @xtravrgnoliveoil @ghostlythinggoingaround @rootbeerworshiper @querenciasturniolo @whicked-hazlatwhore @m4ttslvr @sturnioloblogs @mqttittude @bewtyschooldropout @taekwite @itzdarling

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tiktowafel · 9 months

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Headcanons for Neito Monoma?

yup here you go! tagging @fabpops1 because she also asked for Monoma headcanons

no coloring today because the one i made two years ago sucks and i don't feel like remaking it :'D honestly i feel like Horikoshi and I both half-assed his casual clothing sketch lol

him and his parents were all born in Japan but he has some relatives in Belgium, whom he really enjoys visiting. it's the main reason why he seems so interested in european culture (his profile page states he likes french cuisine and franco-belgian comics)

he can also speak french very well thanks to that

he's also fluent in english (though he has trouble understanding Pony sometimes - he's much better at reading and writing than he is at listening) and has a basic knowledge of several other languages. he doesn't really expect it to come handy at any point in the future, he just learns them because he finds it fun

besides that he also likes history, classic literature, theatre... yeah this guy is a huge humanities-leaning nerd and i don't accept criticism

nor do i accept the fact that he's supposed to be a bad student in canon?? like, he's so smart and also competitive, no way he isn't top of the class... he may not be as good in science and math as he is in japanese and history, but nothing an all-nighter can't fix

in middle school he was part of the drama and debate clubs. and while hero course students aren't supposed to join clubs because they should focus on hero work, he managed to argue his way into the same clubs in UA by saying that his theatrics and speeches are an important part of his hero persona. Kuroiro joined the drama club alongside him (didn't contribute to the argument at all, just nodded wisely every time Monoma presented a point)

class 1-B's culture festival performance being a stage play was actually his idea! it didn't really go the way he intended (he did NOT expect it to turn into a four-way crossover more ambitious than infinity war) but he greatly enjoyed performing in it anyway! maybe even too much

his knowledge of quirks rivals Midoriya's. he researches them a lot mostly to help his copy quirk but also out of genuine curiosity

he often helps his classmates with training their quirks and comes up with new techniques to try out. he's particularly good at it because he can actually try other people's quirks himself, which gives him a better understanding of how they function and what their limitations are

^ which is why i believe he'd make an awesome hero course teacher!! (in all might's role - i don't think making him anyone's homeroom teacher would be a good idea, he'd be just as biased towards his class as he is now lmao) it's definitely one of my favorite "future" headcanons

he praises his classmates' quirks a lot and says he considers them all great, but he does have preferences when it comes to copying them

his favorites are Yanagi's poltergeist (somewhat boring, but easy to understand and very versatile both in battle and everyday life), Tokage's lizard tail splitter (he almost died when he copied it for the first time because he barely managed to put his body back together before his quirk's time limit ran out, but that didn't stop him - he always found Tokage's quirk very fun and useful, so he put a lot of work into fully figuring it out and now he uses it pretty often), Shoda's twin impact (Monoma's physical strength.... leaves a lot to be desired, and the second impact always being significantly stronger than the first helps make up for it) and Kuroiro's black (you can move around very fast and it's fun :) )

quirks he does not like copying Honenuki's softening (fun, but quite difficult to control and avoiding collateral damage with such a destructive quirk is a pain in the ass. Honenuki understands that perfectly) and Shishida's beast (just... really not his thing lol)

for some reason i see a lot of people headcanon that he has pet ferrets, and you know what? i agree. he does seem like a ferret person

prefers smart clothing, a polo shirt is the most casual he'll go. he only ever wears tshirts for exercise (which he hates doing lol) and probably doesn't own a single hoodie

in general i think he has a good eye for elegant design... his dorm room is very stylish and nicely coordinated too. i think one of the light novels also describes it as "vaguely french" and yeah that fits

while he tries to keep his room neat and tidy on the outside, all his drawers and cabinets are horribly messy

he's that one kid who has like 17 different allergies and is completely useless if he forgets his meds on a spring day (spring is his least favorite season due to this. i think winter would be his fave)

luckily he is not allergic to dairy so he can eat as much stinky french cheese as he wants 👍

speaking of food i think he's a pretty good cook actually

prefers listening to older (and mostly foreign) music and is a huge snob about it

honestly he probably acts the same about movies and books too

arguing with people on the internet is one of his favorite ways to spend his free time. if there are no 1-A students around, you can always show off your impressive vocabulary by bullying random internet strangers with bad taste in movies!

almost everyone in 1-B considers him a friend despite his... anti-1a bullshit, because he's just really nice and helpful to people he likes + he's a great leader! however he's closest to Kuroiro (friendly drama king rivals! they're constantly arguing about dumb shit using the fanciest words they can think of and they're always trying to outperform each other in the drama club meetings they both attend, but they love each other trust me <3 also Monoma helps Kuroiro with studying because he sucks at school), Pony (when he's not trying to trick her into insulting 1-A he can be pretty helpful with japanese, he also likes listening to her talk about her home country), Honenuki (he's Pony's best friend, so you usually befriend them both at once, but Monoma thinks he's also interesting to talk to by himself) and Tetsutetsu (they don't share many interests but Monoma hates exercising so he has Tetsutetsu force him to do it. his positive energy certainly helps a lot)

ever since they got to know each other during their joint training fight, Monoma's been using 100% of his persuasion skills to convince Shinso to join 1-B instead of 1-A. Shinso is conflicted to say the least

aaand that's all i have for him! hope you enjoyed these!!

#most of these are really “casual”#but i think the more serious parts of his character are actually really well developed in canon (bless hori for that)#so i dont really have much to add haha #anyway thanks for the ask and sorry that it took so long #bnha #class 1b #neito monoma #monoma neito #tikto's headcanons #bnha headcanons

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straightplayshowdown · 8 months

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Angels in America: In the first part, we meet Louis and Prior and Harper and Joe, two couples whose relationships are on the rocks: the former because of Prior’s AIDS diagnosis and Louis’s inability to cope with illness, the latter because of Joe’s closeted homosexuality and Harper’s incessant fears and hallucinations, as well as her addiction to pain-killers. The second part focuses on the story of Prior Walter, a gay man living with AIDS who has recently been left by his partner, Louis, after he could not cope with the physical and personal impact of the disease.

The Baltimore Waltz: In a series of comic vignettes underlined by tragedy, the farce traces the European odyssey of sister and brother Anna and Carl. They are in search of hedonistic pleasure and a cure for her terminal illness, the fictitious ATD (Acquired Toilet Disease) she contracted by using the bathrooms at the elementary school where she teaches. Knowing her life is nearing its end, Anna is driven by a lust that compels her to have casual sex with as many men as possible during their travels, a passion shared by her gay brother. Assisting the pair is the mysterious Third Man. The play actually takes place in a hospital room in Baltimore, Maryland, where Carl has a terminal illness, and Anna is imagining the trip that the two never took.

Propaganda under the cut!

Angels in America:

painful funny surreal and down to earth all at the same time somehow, even without being a landmark piece for me personally w/ regard to queer literature

The Great American Play. The definitive exploration of how AIDS affected an entire generation of queer Americans in the '80s, and what it left behind in its wake. Those more eloquent than I am will be better at doing this play justice, but my sincerest hope is that the sheer significance of this work is clear enough to carry it all the way through to the highest end of this showdown.

honestly the peak of modern theater 2 me. everything i write and create is in the hopes that i might someday make something that lives up to the bar that angels set. it treats every one of its characters with such depth and compassion and the world it creates is so vivid and fantastic. and the context in which it was created will always be beyond important to me like i don't know how to describe how important it is that a play widely considered an american classic is about the aids crisis. she's the blueprint she's perfect she's everything

genuinely changed my life when i first read it. andrew garfield played prior walter in the 2018 national theatre version and he fucking kills it. it's 6 whole hours of joy and heartbreak and, most of all, hope. stan harper pitt!!!

This epic stageplay has become more accessible since its HBO miniseries adaptation in 2003. It is epic, intersectional, commemorative of a collective trauma that had been silenced for too long at the time of writing. (also Harper deserves to be as much a Tumblr Sad Girl icon as Lana del Rey or Sylvia Plath.)

The Baltimore Waltz:

Paula Vogel's brother died of AIDs. A few years before being diagnosed, he tried to get her to go on a trip to Europe with him, but she was busy. This play explores that imagined trip, but it also a lot more complicated.

#polls #round 1 #angels in america #the baltimore waltz #the straight play showdown

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ramadoodles · 2 years

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Artist Deep Dive: Raja Ravi Varma

Masterlist

This is going to be a long one, so prepare yourselves.

The OG, ladies and gentlemen. The guy who defined mass-media art and depictions of Indian gods and goddesses for the next hundred years. Raja Ravi Varma is the artist I grew up with, whether it was his literal pieces or the art that he inspired. I've actually got a print of one of his paintings hanging up on my wall, Damayanti and the swan:

And it's not just me- the current images of gods that everyone worships are extremely similar to the old depictions that Ravi Varma used. His images have created a universal standard of how gods appear in art.

Raja Ravi Varma managed to combine European techniques with Indian culture to create a totally new form of painting figures, which appealed to Indians and Europeans alike.

Who is this guy, and why should you care?

Raja Ravi Varma was born in Travancore to a noble family, which had been producing consorts for the royal family of Travancore for over 200 years. Ravi Varma later married a woman whose sisters had been adopted into the main royal family, and later on his own granddaughters would be adopted into the main royal family to keep the lineage going. This opportunity of birth placed him in a unique position to learn a lot of professional art, and not focus on earning money.

Throughout his life, Ravi Varma painted many things like religious figures, nobility, and protagonists from myths.

But this isn't important- you can find this by scrolling through the Wikipedia page, like I did. In this essay I will talk about why Ravi Varma had an outsized impact on Indian art and culture that can still be perceived if you know where to look.

The Printing Press

This is what kicked off Raja Ravi Varma's rise to fame. No other artist had done this before, and his printing press gave him a big edge on the competition by introducing his work to a huge audience.

The printing press produced standardized lithographs(Lithographs- images from a printing press, made by pressing different blocks of limestone coloured in different inks onto a sheet. Think of it as block printing, but for large scale images) These lithographs went, for lack of a better word, viral, and the images spread across India like wildfire, creating a standardized image for all religious beings depicted in Raja Ravi Varma's portraits. As a result, other artists also started to copy his paintings so that they would get greater sales. This had certain unforeseen side effects, which I will get into below.

The Saraswati painting

Raja Ravi Varma did this painting of the goddess Saraswati, shown here:

Couple of things to know about Saraswati: She's the goddess of knowledge and learning, and like all gods, she has a designated colour, favourite offering, and animal mount that she rides. In Saraswati's case, her mount is a white swan. Nowhere in extant literature has it ever been mentioned that her mount is anything other than a white. swan.

In comes Ravi Varma, who paints Saraswati with a peacock at her feet. a) that's objectively wrong, but b) his printing press manages to spread the fake news across every corner of India. Now everyone with the latest Ravi Varma calendar is hip to the fact that Saraswati has been depicted with a peacock, nobody reads the actual literature, and every artist from then onwards includes at least a peacock feather in their Saraswati paintings, so as to not contradict popular opinion. (If you can't tell, I'm still mad about this. Also great example of what a good mouthpiece can do for a piece of fake news.)

Here are some examples of copycat Saraswati paintings:

In some of these there's a peacock feather on her head or behind her, which is still completely wrong! Because that's a Krishna thing!

Also last one is the Saraswati statue in my house, which is still completely incorrect. Yes, I will die mad about this.

So, I realized that this is getting too long, so I'm cutting it off here. I've left out a lot of cool facts for sake of brevity, so if anyone wants more information about why Raja Ravi Varma completely changed the art world of India, feel free to leave a comment and I will express my rage once more.

#art #artists on tumblr #raja ravi varma #if you're still here go watch Brahmastra #it is actually a really good movie except for the dislogues #but if you watch with subtitles that won't matter

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elixirvitae · 2 years

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Can i get some education headcannons for the hellsing, iscariot, and millenium peeps please? Or just hellsing or iscariot if thats too much. Like what kind of education do the characters have, do they continue learning, do they like learning, do they have any degrees/diplomas/licences/etc, favorite subjects, did they ever have a teacher they really looked up to or who had a big impact on them, did they go to school cause it was expected or cause they wanted or not at all? That sorta stuff

I'll have you know I worked on a 4 page Google doc to answer this ask over the course of a month and then debated on whether or not anyone cared that much, so here is the abridged version. If you have any enquiries on someone or something specific, let me know and I'll go through my notes and answer beyond that.

All of the English characters were required to be educated between the compulsory ages of 5 and 16, depending on the character. lntegra: homeschooled, probably by governesses. She has the equivalent of a secondary education, not counting her specialty education in business and monster-hunting affairs which were taught by her father. Compulsory school age was 16, I believe, and after that she completed HEI level education which included her business management skills. Beyond that, she shadowed Penwood in Round Table matters. She's particularly strong in business analytics and statistics. She struggled with chemistry. Her favorite subject was math. Seras: She's smart, but she had to move schools a lot because of her manifesting aggression as result of her trauma. Her grades suffered until she was in her teens, and when she finished secondary school she took on an apprenticeship with D11, which took around 3 years. She is excellent at deductive reasoning and applied sciences, she struggles with mathematics. Her favorite subject was sociology.

Walter: Homeschooled by a governess of Hellsing until age 14, the end of the compulsory age range of the time. During primary school and thereafter he was trained as an agent of Hellsing. He furthered his own studies in early adulthood, but informally. He excels in literary and social studies, which are his favorite subjects, and struggles with mathematics beyond basic algebra.

Alucard: Historically, he spoke Bulgarian (most likely his mother tongue), Slavonic, what is now Romanian, Magyar, Turkish, German, Latin, and Greek. He learned basic math, how to ride a horse, and some basic information about foreign affairs, history, and religion. When he lived with the Turks he most likely taught geometry, chemistry, algebra, military history, how to fight in general (Hirano depicts him with a broadsword, but in reality he favored the kilij, a curved scimitar he learned to use with the Turks) and literature. Ottoman education was considered a higher standard of education compared to European schools. Past his human life, he continued to pursue knowledge in many fields, hiring tutors when necessary. Feel free to ask more about his expanse of subjects, I could go on forever. His strengths are many thanks to time and experience, but linguistics, international affairs, and mechanical engineering are his favorites. He has little interest in conceptualizing new theories and is more interested in applying them.

#alucard hc #seras hc #walter hc #integra hc #thanks for the ask!#maybe one day I'll learn about the various nationalities' education systems for their time for the other factions but that day is not today

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writeleg1ant · 5 months

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Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago: A Dissident Masterpiece or Propaganda Tool?

Outline of the Article:

I. Introduction A. Brief background on Boris Pasternak B. Overview of Doctor Zhivago controversy II. Boris Pasternak Boooks III. Early Life and Influences A. Pasternak's formative years B. Influences shaping his literary vision IV. Literary Innovations A. Doctor Zhivago's experimental style B. Complexity in language and structure IV. Notable Works A. Exploration of Doctor Zhivago, key themes B. Other significant works by Pasternak VI. Nobel Prize Nomination A. Pasternak's Nobel Prize nomination B. Consequences of the nomination VII. Political Landscape A. Soviet censorship during the Russian Revolution B. How political context influenced Doctor Zhivago IX. Controversial Article Angle A. Dissident masterpiece perspective B. Propaganda tool allegations X. Reception and Criticism A. Public and critical responses to Doctor Zhivago B. Varied opinions on Pasternak's intentions

XI. Impact on Literature

A. Doctor Zhivago's enduring influence B. Pasternak's contribution to Russian literature

XII. Burstiness and Perplexity in Storytelling

A. Maintaining intrigue through burstiness B. Handling perplexity for a dynamic narrative

XIII. Symbolism in Doctor Zhivago

A. Analyzing symbolic elements in the novel B. Implications of symbolism on the narrative

XIV. Conclusion

A. Summarizing perspectives on Doctor Zhivago B. Emphasizing the ongoing debate

XV. FAQs

A. Addressing common questions and misconceptions

I. Introduction

A. Boris Pasternak, a renowned Russian poet and novelist, left an indelible mark on literature. Born in 1890, his life unfolded against the backdrop of Russia's tumultuous history, influencing his literary endeavors. B. The controversy surrounding Pasternak's masterpiece, Doctor Zhivago, adds layers to his legacy. The novel, exploring love and life during the Russian Revolution, faced both acclaim and condemnation, making it a focal point of literary discourse.

II. Boris Pasternak Boooks

- "Doctor Zhivago" (1957) - Undoubtedly, Pasternak's most celebrated work, "Doctor Zhivago" is a sweeping epic set against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution. It explores the complexities of love, politics, and the human spirit. - "My Sister, Life" (1922) - This collection of poetry is considered a masterpiece of Russian Symbolism. Pasternak's verses showcase his early experimentation with language and his deep reflections on life and art. - "The Last Summer" (1934) - A semi-autobiographical novel, "The Last Summer" delves into the themes of love and creativity. It provides a nuanced glimpse into Pasternak's own experiences and struggles. - "Safe Conduct" (1931) - This collection of essays and reflections offers insights into Pasternak's thoughts on literature, art, and the tumultuous political landscape of his time. It's a valuable exploration of his intellectual depth. - "Selected Writings" (1978) - A posthumous compilation, this volume brings together a variety of Pasternak's works, including poems, essays, and translations. It serves as a comprehensive introduction to the breadth of his literary contributions.

III. Early Life and Influences

A. Boris Pasternak's formative years profoundly shaped his artistic sensibilities. Growing up in a household steeped in the arts and intellectual pursuits, he developed a keen awareness of the complexities inherent in human existence. B. Pasternak's unique literary vision was molded by a diverse range of influences, spanning from the rich tapestry of Russian Symbolism to the nuanced narratives of European literature. His early encounters with revolutionary ideals and profound reflections on the human condition became the foundational pillars of his later literary works.

IV. Literary Innovations

A. Doctor Zhivago stands as a testament to Pasternak's commitment to an experimental style. The novel's narrative structure, a seamless blend of poetry and prose, boldly challenged conventional norms, delivering a reading experience that remains distinctive and memorable. B. The intricate interplay of language and structure within Doctor Zhivago exemplifies Pasternak's unwavering dedication to pushing the boundaries of literary expression. His innovative approach not only defied convention but also invited readers to engage with the narrative on multiple intellectual and emotional levels.

V. Notable Works

A. While Doctor Zhivago holds a central place in Pasternak's literary achievements, exploring key themes within the novel reveals the profound depth of his storytelling prowess. B. Pasternak's literary repertoire extends well beyond Doctor Zhivago, encompassing significant works such as My Sister, Life, and The Last Summer. Each piece contributes to a nuanced understanding of the thematic preoccupations that defined his literary career.

VI. Nobel Prize Nomination

A. The 1958 Nobel Prize nomination brought both acclaim and controversy to Pasternak. Despite recognition by the Nobel Committee, the Soviet authorities' severe backlash underscored the political tensions surrounding his work. B. The far-reaching consequences of the Nobel Prize nomination had a profound impact on Pasternak's personal and professional life, emphasizing the intricate interplay between literature and politics during that period.

VII. Political Landscape

A. The pervasive Soviet censorship during the Russian Revolution cast a shadow over artistic expression. Pasternak's navigations through this politically charged landscape provide profound insights into the challenges faced by intellectuals in an era marked by ideological constraints. B. Unraveling the genesis of Doctor Zhivago within the broader political context sheds light on how Pasternak's portrayal of revolutionary events was both shaped and constrained by the prevailing Soviet ideology.

VIII. Controversial Article Angle

A. Viewing Doctor Zhivago as a dissident masterpiece aligns with Pasternak's intent to present an alternative narrative to the prevailing political ideology, challenging established norms. B. Allegations of the novel being a propaganda tool suggest a calculated intent, implying that Pasternak's work may have been strategically crafted to serve political ends, adding a layer of complexity to the ongoing discourse.

IX. Reception and Criticism

A. Public and critical responses to Doctor Zhivago have been diverse, reflecting the polarizing nature of the novel. While some hailed it as a masterpiece, others condemned it as subversive, contributing to the ongoing debate about Pasternak's intentions. B. Varied opinions on Pasternak's motivations add depth to the discourse, emphasizing the novel's dual role as a work of art and a political statement.

X. Impact on Literature

A. Doctor Zhivago's enduring influence extends beyond its initial publication. Pasternak's contribution to Russian literature is recognized as a distinctive voice that resisted conforming to ideological constraints. B. Examining how Pasternak's works influenced subsequent generations of writers illustrates the lasting impact of his literary legacy, transcending the confines of time and political ideology.

XII. Burstiness and Perplexity in Storytelling

A. Maintaining intrigue through burstiness ensures that Doctor Zhivago captivates readers. Pasternak strategically employs bursts of emotion and pivotal events, keeping the narrative dynamic and engaging. B. Handling perplexity, characterized by complexity and ambiguity, adds depth to the storytelling, encouraging readers to actively engage with the novel on intellectual and emotional levels.

XIII. Symbolism in Doctor Zhivago

A. Analyzing symbolic elements in Doctor Zhivago unveils layered meanings behind objects, events, and characters. Pasternak employs symbolism to convey nuanced messages within the narrative, enriching the reader's interpretative experience. B. Understanding the implications of symbolism adds a profound layer to the reader's interpretation of Doctor Zhivago's themes and characters, enhancing the overall literary experience.

XIV. Conclusion

A. Summarizing perspectives on Doctor Zhivago requires acknowledging the multiple interpretations that exist. The ongoing debate reflects the novel's enduring ability to provoke thought and discussion, ensuring its place in the literary canon. B. Emphasizing the ongoing debate underscores the significance of Doctor Zhivago as a work that continues to captivate readers and scholars alike, maintaining its relevance and impact over time.

XV FAQs

- Why was Dr. Zhivago controversial? - The controversy surrounding Doctor Zhivago stems from its depiction of the Russian Revolution, challenging Soviet ideologies. - Is Dr. Zhivago a banned book? - At certain points in history, Doctor Zhivago faced censorship, with Soviet authorities suppressing its publication due to its perceived dissent. - What is the message of Dr. Zhivago? - Doctor Zhivago explores themes of love, life, and the human condition against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution, offering a nuanced commentary. - How accurate was Dr. Zhivago? - While Doctor Zhivago is a work of fiction, Pasternak drew inspiration from historical events, providing a perspective on the Russian Revolution. - How did Doctor Zhivago impact Boris Pasternak's legacy? - Doctor Zhivago significantly contributed to Pasternak's legacy, solidifying his reputation as a literary giant and dissident voice in Russian literature. Read the full article

#atruestory #BorisPasternaknovels #ControversialportrayalinRussianliterature #DissentinSovietliterature #DissidentthemesinDoctorZhivago #Doctorzhivagocontroversypdf #Doctorzhivagocontroversysummary #DoctorZhivagopoliticalcritique #doctorzhivagosummary #drzhivagoending #drzhivagosummarybychapter #Historicallovestoriesinliterature #isdrzhivago #Pasternak'sliteraryimpact #Pasternak'srevolutionarynarrative #RussianRevolutioninfiction #RussianRevolutionliteratureanalysis #whathappenedtodrzhivago'sfirstwife #whathappenedtotonyaandsashaindrzhivago

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buzz-london · 5 months

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Conflict Resolution through the Mahabharata!

War may be fought by men, but its victims are always women and children.

With all the advances we have made in science, technology, psychology, economics, architecture, art, literature, politics, we are still unable to live in peace. Sadly, in 2023, peace seems such a long way away in so many places on Earth.

Mahabharata, often associated with war, is actually an epic that advocates peace and gives different ways to resolve conflicts.

The epic starts with king Janmanjay initiating a yagna to perpetrate a genocide to wipe out snakes of all species. He was furious because his father was killed by a snake who wanted to exact a revenge for the death of his family and a massacre of snakes perpetrated by the king's great grandfather.

At the yagna, sage Vaishampayan recites the family history of Kurus to enlighten the king about the past and reveal that the harvest of hate is bitter. Very bitter. All those who wanted revenge, got what they wanted in some measure. BUT, they had to pay a heavy price for their vengeance. Most lost their lives, or someone they could not live without, to exact the revenge they so desperately craved. So if anything, the epic tale teaches us that revenge is a poison not worth taking.

Killing only begets killing.

How many generations will this cycle of blood-feud continue?

How much generational trauma will it inflict?

How much pain will everyone suffer?

How many lives will be lost?

To what end?

Realising this, the epic ends with King Janmanjay stopping the genocidal yagna of snakes. At some point, someone has to end the cycle of hate. Someone has to get off their high horse and withdraw, making space for the other side to re-evaluate the situation and also stand down.

At some point, both sides will have to realise the cost of perpetuating this war is too high to pay. If that is inevitable, why not stop the war now? Why not bring it to an end and declare peace NOW?

The epic discusses many different types of peace treaties, including 'land for peace'. Mahabharat showcases treaties disguised as truce in a war, unequal treaties, unjust treaties, fair and equitable treaties too. Peace at any cost and peace that perpetuates prosperity for both sides are discussed in the epic.

How to resolve conflicts. Who to talk to. How to talk to 'who' to, to get the work done. How to effect change. How to make subtly make an impactful statement. When to speak and when to be silent. When to act and when to stand back - are all discussed in the Mahabharata in wonderful detail.

Within our lifetime, we have seen how Germans and Europeans who were at each other's throats made peace. They are both now prosperous.

Japanese and the west made peace. Both benefiting from it and both prospering as a result.

Closer to home, IRA and UK made peace. After 90 years of terrorising each other, the Queen herself, whose uncle was killed by the IRA, shook hands with them in 2012.

Let us hope the fighters in Mayanmar, Yemen, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger Sudan, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Ukraine, Russia, Israel and Hamas realise this and stop their wars. For example, returning 200 hostages for the safety of 2 million is surely good maths!

Burying the hatchet is easier than burying your sons.

Notes -

Let us learn from the Mahabharata the futility of war and its terrible cost to us all - combatants and non-combatants. Mahabharata teaches this lesson by weaving a fantastic tapestry of many royal family histories, spread over many generations, across several cities across the Indian subcontinent, with numerous wars, marriage alliances, political intrigues and sprinkled with philosophical insights.

I have studied the Mahabharata epic in great detail, written over 40 articles on my website, published an e-book and conducted a 7 day katha to talk about its wonderful lessons. Here are links to these -

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0j1SRCBjx59RBamsd4_MhzwiXs7a00Jq (speech in Gujarati and English)

Current wars in 2023

10 Conflicts to Watch in 2023 | Crisis Group

#my articles #mahabharata

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scwirrel · 1 year

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@jtformerland @pomrania consider though:

“I agree that the haradrim are meant to represent Muslim people but the orcs are literally inspired by medieval descriptions and depictions of Muslims and people who were not Christian. The reason I think that is bc those texts (mainly from 8th - 12th century monks) were what formed a large part of Tolkien’s working life. The assumption of poems like Beowulf and of the Medieval English literature that prompted him to write the lord of the rings is steeped in traditions of depicting Christian people as divinely sanctioned. Before Christian influences entered into this, I.e. gothic literature (Tolkien was a massive part of preserving Gothic as a language and advancing its understanding), or old English legend (Earendel is literally taken from an old Mercian folk tale) ideas about light and darkness, corrupted beings and pure ones, were part of how the people of the time categorised Europeans and non Europeans or Christians and non Christians. Tolkien is not consciously deciding to depict Muslims as inhuman or inherently evil (though that’s what he ends up doing). Instead I think he becomes so absorbed in constructing this mythology of middle earth (that’s his stated aim in his diaries) that his writing takes on those medieval ways of seeing things, medieval categories of difference. And, looking at it historically or analytically, the orcs are representative of Islamic forces, starkly contrasted with the purity of Minas Tirith or the elves (representative of Constantinople as seen by Europeans during the crusades). The point I make about the orcs is that they’re the most striking example of Tolkien’s medieval viewpoint. The guy actually advocated that his towns official language become old English, this stuff had a huge impact on him even if it seems stupid to us.”

#lord of the rings #orcs #tolkein #Proxy blogging for my buddy max

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siwarcheimbi · 1 year

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Exploring Edward Said's Orientalism: Impact, Analysis, and Critique of Western Portrayals of the Middle East.

Edward Said's most well-known work, Orientalism, was published in 1978. It has impacted a half-dozen well-established fields, including literary studies (English, comparative literature), history, anthropology, sociology, area studies (primarily Middle East studies), and comparative religion. Said investigates Western portrayals of Middle Eastern civilizations and cultures (fiction and nonfiction) in Orientalism. The book brought him worldwide acclaim for its creative and provocative investigations of the interrelationships between literary and non-literary materials. Said analyzes these works in light of the social, political, and economic conditions in which they were created. In his work, Edward Said takes a continental interdisciplinary approach to literary criticism, tracing the connections between literature and politics utilizing the ideas of phenomenology, existentialism, and French structuralism. His beliefs and approaches have significantly impacted American academic circles, particularly in literary theory and cultural studies. The complex links between writing and cultural politics, language, and power are essential to Said's preoccupation with Orientalism. He tries to explain how Western journalists, novelists, and academics contributed to Eastern cultures' widespread and unfavorable perception as inferior, stagnant, and degenerate. He also tries to demonstrate how pervasive these portrayals are in Western culture. The West used these depictions to legitimize its imperialist activities in the Middle East.

"Orientalism is a style of thought based on an ontological and epistemological distinction made between 'the Orient' and (most of the time) 'the Occident,'" according to Wikipedia. Said maintained that his contrast highlighted the Occident's superiority over the Orient's inferiority. Second, Orientalism is a branch of academic study encompassing anybody who teaches, researches or writes about the Middle East. Third, Orientalism began in the seventeenth century as a "corporate organization for dealing with the Orient." Orientalism is "a Western way of controlling, reforming, and exercising dominance over the Orient."

Furthermore, it is a method of dealing with the Orient (the East) founded on the Orient's unique position in European Western culture and experience. According to this viewpoint, the Middle East is immobile, unchangeable, and unable to identify itself. As a result of Orientalism, the West assumed representing the Orient, exposing it to exploitation. The goal of Orientalism is to seize control of the Orient and deprive it of its power to speak for itself. According to Said, the Western depiction of the Orient is determined by stereotypes and prejudices.

Edward Said also defined 'Orientalism' as a discourse borrowed from the French philosopher and historian Michel Foucault. Discourse, according to Foucault, is a system of thinking that guides a person's knowledge acquisition. This understanding is based on preconceived conceptions and concepts. As a result, discourse results from a never-ending interaction loop between power and knowledge. Knowledge, according to Foucault, is both a source of power and a means of attaining power. Following Foucault's views, Edward Said focused on the link between power and knowledge. He argued that understanding the hugely systematic discipline by which European culture managed—and even constructed—the Orient politically, militarily, sociologically, scientifically, imaginatively, and ideologically during the post-Enlightenment period requires looking at Orientalism as a discourse.

Edward Said advances his thesis and analysis in three significant chapters in Orientalism; the scope of Orientalism is discussed in Chapter I, Oriental Structures and Restructures in Chapter II, and Orientalism Now in Chapter III.

'The Scope of Orientalism' includes all aspects of the subject, historically and in terms of a time period. Furthermore, it addresses the problem from a political and philosophical standpoint. Said examines pre-18th-century writing on the Muslim Near East and the sociopolitical consequences of Napoleon's conquest of Egypt in 1798. He claimed the East was considered a literary world for the West. Classical rather than current periods of Eastern culture piqued the curiosity of European Orientalists.

Said examines the evolution of modern Orientalism in this chapter by providing a broad chronological overview. He also tries to track it down by describing a collection of methods that are commonly seen in the works of famous artists, poets, and academics. Said examines the French and English traditions of studying the Muslim Near East in the nineteenth century and until World War I. For this aim, he focuses on works by French Orientalists like Sylvester de Sacy and English Orientalists like Edward Lane's Account of the Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians (1836). Furthermore, Edward Said aims to show how Orientalism has influenced and shaped Western perceptions of the Arab Middle East and Middle Eastern conceptions of themselves in this chapter.

The second chapter picks off just where the last one left off. It is about the year 1870. This period is marked by massive colonial expansion into the Orient, culminating in World War II. The transition from British and French to American predominance is described in the final half of this chapter. It depicts Orientalism's social and intellectual aspects in the United States today. Said starts this chapter by talking about Orientalism in the 1920s and 1930s. He does so by looking at prominent Islamicists of the time, such as French academic Lovis Massignon and English historian Hamilton Gibb. Edward Said takes notice of Hamilton Gibb's lectures as head of Harvard University's Center for Middle Eastern Studies, particularly his views on the Arab Mind and the Muslim's "aversion to the mental process of rationality," referring to Islam as Mohammedanism.

Edward Said examines Post-World War II Orientalism under The Last Phase, when the United States became the epicenter of action in the East. The highly competent American "area experts" assumed this latter phase, replacing the previous philologists. Edward Said investigates the function of the East's "region experts." He claims they contributed to the perpetuation of Orientalism dynamics by categorizing Islam and Arabs into four groups. Popular Image and Social Science Representation, Public Relations Policy, Merely Islam, and To See the Orient as an Imitation West are the four categories.

Said covers popular images and social science representations of the East under Popular Image and Social Science Representation. He claims that the 'area experts" approach of Arabs and Islam is predictable and habitually unfavorable because it stems from the transferring of common anti-Semitic animus from Jews to Arabs. Academic research, according to Said, backs up these unfavorable stereotypes. These photos are parodies of Arab and Islamic culture in their worst form.

Said focuses on American public relations policy in the second category of distortion of Arabs and Islam. It is via this approach, he claims, that current researchers attempt to maintain the traditions established by European Orientalists. Consider Earnest Renan's racist rhetoric and dogmas from the 1840s. He grounds his thesis on Gustave von Grunchbaun's work. He was a German Orientalist with a "virulent hate for Islam," as he put it. In the works of Grunchbaun and other Orientalists, Said discovers the following dogmas: The absolute distinction between the Occident (rational and superior) and the Orient (irrational and inferior), the superiority of abstractions about the Orient over direct evidence from the current Orient, and the realization that the Orient should be feared and controlled.

'Marely Islam,' according to Said, is the third type of current Orientalist representation. He criticizes the Muslim near-purported Orient's incapacity to be as fully human as the West. He also mentions the opinion of a well-known political scientist. According to this viewpoint, the Muslim mind can only have four of the eight human mental processes. He adds the head of the Middle East Studies Association's assumption that "because the Arabic language is heavily influenced by rhetoric, Arabs are thus incapable of real cognition."

Edward Said places and takes on the present Western Orientalists' presupposition that the "Orient is an imitation West" in the fourth category, Orient is an Imitation West. He also mentions their efforts to persuade Easterners to measure themselves by Western standards and achieve Western objectives. Said bemoans that the contemporary Orient has succumbed to the bait and is now Orientalizing itself. Edward Said concludes his exploration of Orientalism by briefly addressing the positive side of the challenge of trustworthy Orientalism studies. He expects that researchers "whose allegiance is to a discipline defined intellectually and not to a 'field' like Orientalism defined either canonically, imperially, or geographically" would perform honest work on the Arabs and Near East.

Edward Said explicitly said in his work that Orientalism did not result from colonial power. However, it predates colonization as a pattern of knowing. According to Said, the Orient's viewpoint dates back to the ancient Greeks. However, before the colonial period, Orientalism was a literary discourse with a long history of writers, texts, studies, and conceptualizations. As an example of early attempts to build an Orient, Said cited Aeschylus' The Persians.

According to Said, Orientalism has only recently become a "science" or an expanded body of knowledge and tradition. He highlighted two 18th-century thinkers who pioneered the shift from literary to scientific knowledge in Orientalism. Abraham Hyacinthe Anquetile-Duperron is one, while William Jones is the other. These two intellectuals replaced Orientalism's literary foundations with one that seemed scientific and impartial. Their focus had shifted away from the description of the strange and toward its comprehension.

According to Said, knowledge or understanding achieved through scientific study of the Orient leads to direct control and authority over the Orient. He clearly illustrated this interplay by examining Lord Balfour's address to the House of Commons in 1910. Lord Balfour convincingly defended Britain's existence and engagement in Egypt in this speech. So, knowledge is power in a very fundamental sense. It is potent because it is exclusively available to Europeans, not the Orientals. The underlying premise is that the Orientalist' knows' the Orient better than the Orientals. Because of his paternalistic mindset, he comes to the unavoidable and reasonable conclusion that he must annex the Orient.

One of Edward Said's critical Orientalism theories is that knowledge about the East is created through imagined constructs rather than facts. These constructions imagined "Eastern" society as essentially akin to "Western" societies, sharing features that "Western" societies lack. As a result of this "a priori" understanding, the Orient became the antithesis of the West. According to Said, such information is derived from literary writings and historical records, both frequently restricted in their grasp of the reality of life in the Middle East.

Said also asserted a pervasive and subtle Eurocentric bias towards Arabo-Islamic people and culture. He said that in Western society, a long heritage of misleading and idealized views of Asia and the Middle East had implicitly justified Europe and America's colonial and imperial goals. Said also chastised Arab elites for internalizing the concepts of American and British orientalists about Arabic culture. Said made it evident that "Orientalism is, and does not only symbolize," an essential feature of modern political and intellectual culture, even if he limited his discussion to the academic study of the history and culture of Middle Eastern Africa and Asia.

Edward Said's criticism of academic Orientalism was restricted to late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century studies. The earliest' Orientalists,' or 19th-century scholars, were the ones who translated 'the Orient's texts into English. These translations were founded on the premise that an effective colonial invasion necessitated a thorough understanding of the conquered people. Said's criticism is replete with references to knowledge as a source of power and authority. The Occident came to possess the Orient through understanding it. The Orient became the subject of observation, study, and object.

On the other hand, Orientalist scholars were the seers, observers, pupils, and subjects. The Occident (West) was dynamic, whereas the Orient (East) was docile. According to Said, Orient, and Occident functioned as diametrically opposed terms. The 'Orient' was built to represent a negative reversal of Western civilization. The Orient was never (and still is not) a free topic of thinking or action due to Orientalism.

The argument that Orientalism was not the objective area of study it purported to be was that Said spent the most time exploring and creating instances in Orientalism. Instead, it provided a platform for the Occident to explain its political and cultural dominance in the Orient. He aimed to "explain how Orientalism arose as a theory and corporate organization for asserting Western dominance over the Orient." The Orientalists achieved this by portraying what they referred to as Orientals as culturally and psychologically inferior to their European counterparts. Political authorities took up this thread and exploited it to legitimize their colonial ambitions.

Knowledge is power for Said, as it was for Foucault. The conquerors' power foundation was built on their understanding of the Orient, which was erroneous yet powerful. Said distinguished between pure knowledge and political knowledge in this passage. Basic arithmetic is an example of 'pure knowledge.' It was difficult for 2+2=4 to permit another group's dominance.

On the other hand, politics adapted itself well to the transition from specialized to policy. Said exemplified how policymakers look to experts, Orientalists, to help them create their policies. These strategies frequently resulted in the dominance of those studied by the professional, demonstrating Said and Foucault's view of knowledge as power. Napoleon's invasion of Egypt in 1978 was Said's first example. "This invasion put in motion... [processes]... that continue to dominate our modern cultural and political viewpoints," Said went on to explain the colonization process and its ultimate goal: "What the machine (the colonial power structure) branches feed into it in the East—human material, wealth, knowledge[…]—is processed by the machine and then converted into more power." Said then clarified the function of Orientalism in the preceding process: "The specialist does the immediate translation of mere Oriental matter into useful substance: the Oriental becomes, for example, a subject race, an example of Oriental mentality, all for the enhancement of the "authority" at home. "Local interests" are Orientalist special interests, the "central authority" is the greatest interest of the imperial society as a whole." The colonial force converted the subjugated people, the subalterns, into mere raw resources that the empire consumed, thanks to the help of the Orientalists. This was another instance of information being used to gain power. The Orientalists' political understanding bolstered the subjugators' influence.

The Orientalists facilitated their metamorphosis into materials by inscribing fundamental features onto humans. These key features were fixed, unchanging, and inferior to those in Europe. Said cited Paul Valéry as an example of this concept. While Europe owed the Orient its "legacy of the arts" and knowledge, Valéry claimed they were still "monsters." As a result, "maintaining the power of choice" has to be used to cope with them. According to the Europeans, this ailment existed forever. This, according to Said, was a catastrophic blunder. In the afterword of Orientalism, Said said clearly: "…human identity is not only natural and stable, but constructed, and occasionally even invented outright." No one would dare to construct essential features of "the Negro mind" or "the Jewish personality," according to Said, but essential elements of "the Islamic mind" and "the Arab personalities" were allowed. As a result, an essentialist perspective of the Orientals, Arabs, Semites, and Islam equals racism. While colonists frequently believed they provided knowledge to the uncivilized, this paternalistic mentality was just as racist as other dominative theoretical frameworks.

For every Western academic, Orientalism's mistaken essentialism was and remains unavoidable. "No academic, not even a Massignon, can withstand the influences on him from his homeland or the intellectual tradition in which he works," Said argued. Said went on to add that, in keeping with his rejection of essentialism, one must allow an individual genius's potential to transcend one's circumstances. This thought to be exceedingly implausible, given that no academic had previously been able to accomplish so. This subtle racism is built into the system, much like the brutality alleged by the rioting peasants in Monty Python's Holy Grail. How can one learn about other people's groups if it is nearly difficult for any Western researcher to break free of these ties? Said's response to this puzzle and Spivak's is that the subaltern might talk. Said hoped that his work would help loosen the chains that Orientalism has and continues to have over the world's poor. A new study of each culture's history and experience was used to break these ties.

In conclusion, Said suggested that Orientalism evolved from the necessity for the West to establish itself as the polar opposite of a counterbalancing entity. During the Crusades, Europe discovered the Orient to be this counterbalancing element. The West found itself in positions of political and military control over what it perceived as the Orient, which was then utilized to conquer the region. The Orientalists, a group of Orientalists, sprang up alongside this authority, providing legitimacy and traction. The custom crystallized as the West created a tradition of superior ideals and a static perspective of the Orient. It was and continues to be, virtually hard for any academic inside the tradition to break away. However, '[Humans] build their history,' Every community is in perpetual change and evolution. As a result, each group must speak for itself and establish discourses about their past. They must exchange and converse with different people groups to genuinely understand each other, not just political understanding.

#politics #english

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ausetkmt · 2 years

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Abdulrazak Gurnah is receiving worldwide attention after being awarded last year’s Nobel Prize in Literature. His latest novel “Afterlives” is set in colonial East Africa occupied by Germany in the early 20th century. Gurnah writes of individuals caught up in the sweep of history and the impact on their later lives. Jeffrey Brown caught up with him for our arts and culture series, "CANVAS."

Amna Nawaz:Abdulrazak Gurnah is receiving worldwide attention after being awarded last year's Nobel Prize for literature.His latest novel, "Afterlives," is set in a place and time rarely explored in fiction, colonial East Africa, occupied by Germany in the early 20th century.Having left his own homeland at an early age amid political violence, Gurnah writes of individuals caught up in the sweep of history and the impact on their later lives.Jeffrey Brown caught up with him for our arts and culture series, Canvas.Abdulrazak Gurnah, Author, "Afterlives": I was in the middle of writing something.

Jeffrey Brown:Oh, you were?

Abdulrazak Gurnah:Yes, when this came.

Jeffrey Brown:What does winning the Nobel Prize in literature do for a writer? On a recent trip to New York, Abdulrazak Gurnah offered one answer.

Abdulrazak Gurnah:Maybe it will make me think more kindly of my previous writing.(LAUGHTER)

Jeffrey Brown:Of your previous writing?

Abdulrazak Gurnah:Yes. I will say, hey, maybe I wasn't so bad.(LAUGHTER)

Jeffrey Brown:Last year, the Nobel announcement helped introduce many readers around the world to Gurnah and his work.

Person:The Nobel Prize in literature for 2021 is awarded to the novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah, born in Zanzibar, active in England, for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fates of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents.

Jeffrey Brown:"Afterlives" is set in an unnamed coastal East African town in the early 1900s, when most of the continent, as the novel says, belonged to Europeans, at least on a map.As great powers vie for control, it is African mercenaries who do most of the fighting and local people who do most of the dying or face displacement.

Abdulrazak Gurnah:My concern is to ask several questions, primarily, how it is that people cope in these situations, how, when people are caught in these conflicts that are nothing to do with them, how they hang onto something, how they retrieve something perhaps from the traumatic events that they are part of, and also, in another way, how it is that the — shall we say, the callousness and the disregard of those others who are fighting their own wars and then go home, how it is that that is something that needs to be revisited and to be remembered and for responsibility to be taken for that.

Jeffrey Brown:Gurnah, now 73, grew up on the island of Zanzibar, then under British control. In 1964, after independence, a revolution targeted citizens of Arab origin, and Gurnah, then 18, fled to England as a refugee.He has lived there ever since, becoming a writer and professor at the University of Kent in Canterbury. He is the first African-born writer to win the Nobel in more than a decade and first Black writer since Toni Morrison in 1993.Did you imagine being a writer when you were growing up? Was that even a consideration, a possibility?

Abdulrazak Gurnah:No. There was no role model, as it were. There was nobody. I didn't know anybody who was a writer. So the idea of becoming a writer was not a possible choice, as it were, for a career.And it was only, I suppose, after getting to England and finding myself writing, in a way, trying to understand things. And so — and then that just grew and grew and grew, until, in the end, I was hooked.

Jeffrey Brown:You were a writer.

Abdulrazak Gurnah:And I was a writer. And it was too late.(LAUGHTER)

Jeffrey Brown:But in the Nobel speech you gave, you speak very specifically about this feeling of dislocation…

Jeffrey Brown:… as being the impulse to start writing seriously.

Abdulrazak Gurnah:It was out of that period, that prolonged period of poverty and alienation, that I began to do a different kind of writing.You don't always think about what you are leaving behind. It is the destination that matters more.

Jeffrey Brown:You probably can't at that moment, right?

Abdulrazak Gurnah:Well, you can't because you are worried, due to anxieties of being a stranger in a place you don't know. How do you cope? How do you go about doing things and so on?It is only when you get there that you think, I have lost something. I have left something, and particularly if this is in a situation where you know pretty well that you can't go back, for whatever reason. Then I think there are things to sort out.

Jeffrey Brown:Through 10 novels, Gurnah has told stories set in parts of Africa, as well as England, his characters in many ways between places, looking backwards and forwards across time and continents.

Abdulrazak Gurnah:I don't think it's something you, in the end, say, OK, I have fixed it. Now I know where I am, because I think it probably continues all the time, that sense of being from there and here and so on.

Jeffrey Brown:Well, has it continued for you?

Abdulrazak Gurnah:Well, yes, sure. It's very much the way I every day. I think about something to do with Zanzibar, especially now, because I get a lot of e-mails from there.(LAUGHTER)

Abdulrazak Gurnah:But, also, I think about my life in the U.K., where I have family and children and grandchildren, but I also have family there.And the concerns of here and the concerns of there, they are all parts of my existence.

Jeffrey Brown:It is a particularly interesting moment to be talking now, after the death of Queen Elizabeth, when you talk about the afterlife of colonialism, of post-colonialism.Do you see a continuing reckoning or the need for a reckoning now?

Abdulrazak Gurnah:Well, I don't know about reckoning.I think there is a need to pay attention to those historical responsibilities, to the things that happened, and not to be in denial about them. There is a defensiveness, I think, among certain parts of the political body in the U.K. that wants to say, no, no, it was OK, it was alright. Most of what was done in that period was OK.There is, of course, another body of opinion that says, no, it wasn't. So it is right there in the center of the society and the culture now, I think, this idea of wanting to confront them to think about. Now, this is not only true of the U.K. It is also true of other colonizing — formerly colonizing empires, the French, or indeed the Germans.

Jeffrey Brown:I know you have spent much of your time since winning doing this kind of thing, talking to people. Do you think it will or has changed your writing at all, winning the award?

Abdulrazak Gurnah:I will tell you when I get back to writing.

Jeffrey Brown:Abdulrazak Gurnah, thank you very much.

Abdulrazak Gurnah:It's a pleasure.

#colonialism #east africa #Gurnah's latest novel 'Afterlives' explores effects of colonial rule in East Africa #Afterlives #Abdulrazak Gurnah

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ashleysengl355portfolio · 2 years

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Covering Reflection: What I learned, final thoughts, and everything in between

My goal with this Tumblr page was to find a way to creatively and effectively showcase my learning and literary analysis in a multimedia format, to track my learning and writing process over the course of this class, as well as, to reflect on and view all of my reflections as a whole at the end of the course, because, while the content of the texts we read differed greatly, they are all interconnected, and encompass the ideas of Romanticism and the Romantic period. In week one I began my journey exploring Romantic period literature in the context of settler-colonial Vancouver with the work of William Wordsworth, the father of English Romanticism. Wordsworth’s poem very much emulates what we know English Romanticism to be about: the beautiful and the sublime, through his fascination with the natural environment around him. In week two and three, we moved on and explored Transatlantic slave trade literature through Olaudah Equiano autobiography, Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, and poems by Phillis Wheatley Peters. Both offered vastly different accounts of enslavement and African American literacy history. In week four, we moved on to Walter Scott’s Waverley, and explored civil wars and the history of legitimation crisis with the crown. Finally, in week five, we looked at the more fictional and comedic side of literature through Jane Austen’s Emma. Through the course’s carefully selected reading list, we explored a wide range of literature from the romantic period, and the impact these literary pieces had in the making of settler colonial Vancouver, and the rest of the world for that matter, is clear.

The existence and continual use of each of these readings keep the ideas of the Romantic-period alive, both in memory and in practice. While Wordsworth’s poetry reminds of the beauty of the natural world around us, in the context of settler land use in Vancouver, Wordsworth reminds us of the coloniality of plants. The native plants he writes about, specifically daffodils are all found here in Vancouver. At first, we stare and admire these beautiful plants, but then we are reminded of the ugly truth, which is these plants are foreign to this land and forcefully planted into it. The beauty that Wordsworth writes about, may have contributed to this desire for settler colonialism and assimilation, through place-making and planting. Through an exploration of Olaudah Equiano’s autobiography, Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, we are reminded of a part of literature and history that is often overlooked and forgotten. He reminds of those slaves who were brought onto these colonial lands, to work and help provide and maintain the riches and luxuries we read about in Jane Austen’s Emma. Equiano’s text provides us with new ways of thinking about exploration and waterways. Wordsworth introduces the beauty of exploration and stopping to take in surroundings, but Equiano shows us the very ugly parts of our surroundings, the histories of systemic violence, enslavement, and assimilation. Additionally, when we think of oceans in this regard, it can be seen as a place of both connect and disconnect. On the one hand, the ocean is what took Equiano away from his family and created divide through colonialism. On the other hand, as we read, it can also be seen as a place of connection; it is where Equiano meets other formerly enslaved Black people and sailors, which creating a cultivating ground for activism and abolition. Furthermore, it brought to light the ways in which this period of history transformed, not just places, but minds. For example, in my reflection I discussed how we witness the assimilation of young Equiano and see the development of racialized thinking and othering through his desire to adapt the European culture and mannerisms he observes. Along with that, Phillis Wheatley Peter’s poetry, offers even more insight to the lives of those enslaved, When I think of how the transatlantic slave trade contributed to settler land use in Vancouver, I immediately think of plantation workers and B.T. Roger’s sugar mill, one of the pioneers for Vancouver’s industrial businesses. The loss of Vancouver’s Black neighbourhood, which we know to be Strathcona, is also a reminder of these events which occurred in the Romantic period.

Walter Scott’s Waverley and Jane Austen’s Emma are two versions of a marriage plot written in different genres and in opposite parts of Europe, during the same period. With Waverley, I was fascinated with the female characters as it seemed like one character represented living life romantically, while the other represented a more practical, stable pursuit to life. While the ending, made it seem like Scott condemned Romanticism, it also brough to light qualities people may have valued during this period. Both texts illustrate the vast range of history of the Romantic period, but it also represents various aspects of European society we see being admired and a part of the settler imaginary when we think of place-making. The street signs we visited, which were named after Scott’s novels and characters are very telling of what settler’s were inspired by when in the process of naming and claiming lands. While there are not roads named after Jane Austen’s books, the Shannon estate was a clear example of settler idealization of British aristocracy and landed gentry, which we read about in Emma.

Through an intellectual exploration of our weekly readings in the form of critical literary analysis in conjunction with our site studies, I learned so much about the Romantic period in the context of settler place-making. This course and the process of writing these reflections really encouraged me to read more intently, and to make connections between these violent histories and Vancouver. I now find myself making connections to the Romantic period everywhere I look, and I do not think I could read another Romantic period literature without thinking about its role in settler place-making. I learned about connections I never would have made otherwise, and the goal of my reflections is to ensure these histories and all the people involved are remembered and represented.

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audreydoeskaren · 3 years

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Thank you for posting a review on the book Evolution & Revolution Chinese Dress 1700s - 1990s. It’s so disappointing how the book potentially could’ve been good. What are your favorite books on Chinese fashion history?

Hi, great that you found the review useful! To be completely honest, I haven't really read any books on Chinese fashion before I started this blog, because I mostly used online resources like museums' websites, archaeology reports and other blogs. I actually started this blog in the hopes that people might recommend me some books😅 And I only ever read about the Ming, Qing and republican era so my knowledge is very limited.

Anyway, here are some books people recommended to me that I found great, some that I'm currently reading and some I know to be objectively good:

Ming Dynasty

Q版大明衣冠图志 (2011) 董进著

A classic made by the popular fashion history blogger 撷芳主人 (real name Dong Jin), this book is the ultimate compilation of Ming Dynasty looks illustrated by the most adorable drawings. It has basically everything you need to know about Ming Dynasty garments from informal civilian fashion and theater costumes to the most formal court dress and military uniforms. My only quibble with this book is that it doesn’t specify the decade/year each look is from, giving the false impression that everything could be worn throughout the Ming Dynasty (I heard that he did specify some eras in the new version? I don’t have it so I’m not sure). You can follow the author on Weibo where he regularly posts stuff about the Ming Dynasty, or check out other books and articles written by him. Even if you don’t have the book, you could probably find images of individual entries on the internet. Unfortunately all of it is in Chinese and no English version is available :(

华夏衣冠中国古代服饰文化 (2016) 孙机著

More of a collection of essays Sun Ji wrote on historical Chinese clothing from a variety of eras, I got it for the chapters on Ming Dynasty xiapei 霞帔 and headwear. Professional, academic language that is still easy to read, plenty of references and neatly traced line drawings of artifacts. Useful diagrams on the structure of 狄髻 diji. However if I remember correctly, Sun had some beef with Dong Jin on the terminology of parts of diji, not sure if that was ever resolved; here’s an article about that. Also only in Chinese (that I know of).

Qing Dynasty

Chinese Reverse Glass Painting 1720-1820 (2020) by Thierry Audric

This is the book form transcript of a dissertation given by the author in 2016. It's more Chinese painting than Chinese fashion but has a lot of wonderful images of 18th century export paintings (with dates even), which depicted fashion realistically. I love 18th century export art in general, they're really beautiful and unusual so I would recommend everybody to check them out. I love this because Chinese oil painting outside of a court context (and all other forms of art that were not literati painting e.g. woodblock print, lithograph, pen and ink illustration) gets very little attention from Chinese art historians. This book could be downloaded for free in pdf form the publisher Peter Lang.

A Fashionable Century: Textile Artistry and Commerce in the Late Qing (2020) by Rachel Silberstein

This book focuses on the 19th century and has some interesting insights on the impact of commercial workshops on Qing fashion, which is a welcome break from the “dragon robes” and women’s domestic work stereotyped in most literature on the Qing. It has rich descriptions of the decoration patterns and fabrics used in the 19th century, accompanied by paintings and photographs. It did kind of fall into the trap of “the late Ming continued into the early Qing” and just dismissed the 18th century altogether, which is a shame. Silberstein’s dating of several prints also appears somewhat incorrect, but it’s still a very useful analysis of the 19th century nonetheless. I read this for free on JSTOR through my university login.

Cinderella’s Sisters: A Revisionist History of Footbinding (2005) by Dorothy Ko

This book is absolutely epic and an undeniable classic on the subject. Ko masterfully avoids all the surface level problematic takes on footbinding and offers an extremely nuanced, extremely well researched overview on the history of footbinding in the Ming, Qing and republican eras, the reasons for its popularity and demise, with a most interesting analysis of the problems with the way people in the republican era went about the abolition of it. The book is more heavy on the social analysis side but also contains a lot of factual description of the process of footbinding, styles popular in different eras etc. I just love how she approaches the topic in the most factual and non-emotionally charged way possible, which is refreshing considering the sheer volume of literature on footbinding that is just brainless condemnation without any nuance, a lot of which also unconsciously perpetuate misogynistic ideas rather than combat them. I don’t know of a way to read this for free, I bought it from Amazon.

Every Step a Lotus (2001) by Dorothy Ko

I haven’t read this yet but apparently it works well as a supplement to Cinderella’s Sisters. Also on footbinding.

China Trade Painting 1750s to 1880s (2014) by Jack S C Lee / 中国外销画 1750s - 1880s 李世庄著

Another book on export art, focusing more on the established painters. Lee digs a bit more into the painters’ experiences and biographies, with big portions on George Chinnery and Lam Qua, but also includes plenty of portraits and scenery paintings depicting men’s clothing and the architecture of the studios at the Guangzhou factories (十三行). It’s great because the paintings included were super realistic and well made with accurate proportions and anatomy----the quality on a par with those produced by the European academies----so they contemplate conventional Chinese portraits made in the same era in showing how the clothing fits on the body. Again I bought this book second hand from Amazon.

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I don’t know of any reliable books for republican era fashion because for some reasons most discourse on it is centered around the glorification and mystification of the cheongsam... Fortunately, due to the abundance of extant originals and photographs, books are largely not necessary for the research of republican era fashion :3

There are some other books and articles that were recommended to me but I haven’t yet read: x, x

@fouryearsofshades also made a post recently recommending books and it covers other time periods as well.

If anyone knows any other books on the Ming, Qing or republican era please tell me regardless of good or bad. I need to read more😅

#book review #historic fashion #chinese fashion #fashion history #vintage fashion #chinese history #ming dynasty #qing dynasty #hanfu #清汉女装 #book rec #chinese painting #foot binding

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